I hope you'll indulge me, but after 41 years, I finally learned how one of my good friends died in Vietnam. I remember the day I learned of his death quite clearly, but how he died has remained a mystery. I heard rumors and as it turns out, they were pretty close to the truth. But I never heard it from those that were there, on site, when it happened. I was in the Army by then and wasn't able to attend the funeral.

His name was Stuart Lee Barnett. He was from Bull Shoals, AR. He was, at best, a part-time college student and full time partier. He enjoyed his time in school but not as a conventional student. He was a true character. That was dangerous to your health in those days because we had a draft and not doing well enough to stay in school made you subject too it. Sure enough, Barney - as we all knew him - was drafted during one of the semesters he was out of school. Naturally we had a huge party for him before he left.

Barney survived his tour in Vietnam. He was an 11C. Mortar crewman. He had been promoted to SP4 and still had some time to go before he'd be discharged. The Army made him an offer - extend in Vietnam and get an early out, or go back to the US and serve the full time. Barney wanted the early out.

He made the decision to extend and had some leave before he had to go back. I remember him talking about his plans after this final 6 months was up. He was a more subdued guy but still full of life and fun. He was ready for his Army service to be over, but he had no regrets about his service or his extention.

A few months later, we learned he'd been killed in action. As it turns out, he was one of 31 (of 32) killed in the crash of a CH-47 shot down by enemy fire. Below is what we recently learned:

Hit by enemy fire on final. Pilot heard an explosion. Aircraft crashed into trees and burned. Internal load of 105 mm ammo began exploding. Of the crew of five and 20 PAX aboard, the pilot was sole survivor. My recollection may be a bit hazy after 36 years. I was filling sandbags with Hugh O'Connor. Watched the RPG actual hit the left jet pod on final approach to what we affectionately called LZ Judy. Couple of things need corrected. There was no 51 cal. machine gun fire. The bird was loaded with white phosphorous for 81 mm mortars, not 105mm. The flight was from Kham Duc. A platoon from 4/31 was pulled off the bird, replaced by a platoon from Delta of the 2/1, along with the Delta 1SG. Don't remember any detonations like 105mm's, just a huge white smoke cloud after skidding down the mountain. Three days later we had to police the body bags of those poor souls. From: SGT Allen, HHC 2/1

I was a direct observer of the downing of the Chinook at LZ Judy on 8/26/70. I totally disagree with any statements made about an RPG. I heard a burst of what could have been AK fire and the ship started going down. The pilot was able to bring the nose up temporarily and then down it went nose first. The door gunner did return fire as soon as they took fire. I agree with the internal weapons being 81MM WP rounds. From: Ken Ruesch, LTC U.S.Army(RET)

I was in Co. E attached to Co. D and we were told to start loading the CH47 with all the ammo and mortar boxes on the LZ at Kham Duc. While loading, the CO grabbed four of us and told us to load our gear and a radar unit onto a Huey and meet up with everyone at the next LZ which at that time we didn't have a clue where we were going. We had been blowing everything we weren't going to haul out up and there was a lot going on. We heard that intel had it that we were going to get hit again like in 68.

Anyway, we beat the CH47's to LZ Judy and unloaded our gear and started hauling it up the hill. The LZ was in a saddle below the hill. I remember a CH47 land and off load a platoon and another CH47 was in a holding pattern, waiting for everyone to clear the LZ. I was resting, looking across at the CH47 which was hovering about straight across from me when I heard AK 47 fire and it appeared to be hitting the chopper right below the from rotors. I heard maybe tens rounds. There's no mistaking AK fire when you're on the ground. I would have been on the right side of the chopper to the front and I could see the right side pilot looking out and down for a place to land. I could see that the saddle had not cleared out and the only place the chopper could go down was in the draw below the saddle. If he would have landed on the LZ he would have killed a lot of ground troops.

I lost sight of the chopper when he went into the trees and could see debris flying including tree branches. I heard that two guys were killed from pieces off the blades but this was never confirmed. I remember looking at the guys on the LZ and they were all looking down into the draw and were heading down that way. After I heard the chopper hit, I don't remember how much time went by before the explosions started. I know that it burned for a couple of days. We heard a couple of stories. One the transmission had come through and killed the pilot, another that a medic had made it out but had a hole in his head and died later, another that someone made it out and clear but had been burned.

I know that someone was medivaced and it's good to hear the co pilot made it. I think it was him who I saw looking out the right side. I know from experience(35 years in law enforcement as an investigator) that everyone sees things different and hears things different even though they experience the same event. I don't remember ever hearing anyone say anything about a RPG, only AK fire. I've seen the reports about the RPG but didn't know where they came from. I know I'll never forget that day & the friends that I lost. The day we had to go down to the crash and start hauling the body bags back up the hill was not a good one either. With each bag we passed up the hill, you could see it in everyones eye's wondering which friend this one was. We heard that all the troops ended up in a pile in back and were burned. The condition of the body bags only confirmed this. This information came from the co pilot Eric "Ric" Reid. From: Dan Hodge

Comments

SP4 Stuart Lee Barnett

I hope you'll indulge me, but after 41 years, I finally learned how one of my good friends died in Vietnam. I remember the day I learned of his death quite clearly, but how he died has remained a mystery. I heard rumors and as it turns out, they were pretty close to the truth. But I never heard it from those that were there, on site, when it happened. I was in the Army by then and wasn't able to attend the funeral.

His name was Stuart Lee Barnett. He was from Bull Shoals, AR. He was, at best, a part-time college student and full time partier. He enjoyed his time in school but not as a conventional student. He was a true character. That was dangerous to your health in those days because we had a draft and not doing well enough to stay in school made you subject too it. Sure enough, Barney - as we all knew him - was drafted during one of the semesters he was out of school. Naturally we had a huge party for him before he left.

Barney survived his tour in Vietnam. He was an 11C. Mortar crewman. He had been promoted to SP4 and still had some time to go before he'd be discharged. The Army made him an offer - extend in Vietnam and get an early out, or go back to the US and serve the full time. Barney wanted the early out.

He made the decision to extend and had some leave before he had to go back. I remember him talking about his plans after this final 6 months was up. He was a more subdued guy but still full of life and fun. He was ready for his Army service to be over, but he had no regrets about his service or his extention.

A few months later, we learned he'd been killed in action. As it turns out, he was one of 31 (of 32) killed in the crash of a CH-47 shot down by enemy fire. Below is what we recently learned:

Hit by enemy fire on final. Pilot heard an explosion. Aircraft crashed into trees and burned. Internal load of 105 mm ammo began exploding. Of the crew of five and 20 PAX aboard, the pilot was sole survivor. My recollection may be a bit hazy after 36 years. I was filling sandbags with Hugh O'Connor. Watched the RPG actual hit the left jet pod on final approach to what we affectionately called LZ Judy. Couple of things need corrected. There was no 51 cal. machine gun fire. The bird was loaded with white phosphorous for 81 mm mortars, not 105mm. The flight was from Kham Duc. A platoon from 4/31 was pulled off the bird, replaced by a platoon from Delta of the 2/1, along with the Delta 1SG. Don't remember any detonations like 105mm's, just a huge white smoke cloud after skidding down the mountain. Three days later we had to police the body bags of those poor souls. From: SGT Allen, HHC 2/1

I was a direct observer of the downing of the Chinook at LZ Judy on 8/26/70. I totally disagree with any statements made about an RPG. I heard a burst of what could have been AK fire and the ship started going down. The pilot was able to bring the nose up temporarily and then down it went nose first. The door gunner did return fire as soon as they took fire. I agree with the internal weapons being 81MM WP rounds. From: Ken Ruesch, LTC U.S.Army(RET)

I was in Co. E attached to Co. D and we were told to start loading the CH47 with all the ammo and mortar boxes on the LZ at Kham Duc. While loading, the CO grabbed four of us and told us to load our gear and a radar unit onto a Huey and meet up with everyone at the next LZ which at that time we didn't have a clue where we were going. We had been blowing everything we weren't going to haul out up and there was a lot going on. We heard that intel had it that we were going to get hit again like in 68.

Anyway, we beat the CH47's to LZ Judy and unloaded our gear and started hauling it up the hill. The LZ was in a saddle below the hill. I remember a CH47 land and off load a platoon and another CH47 was in a holding pattern, waiting for everyone to clear the LZ. I was resting, looking across at the CH47 which was hovering about straight across from me when I heard AK 47 fire and it appeared to be hitting the chopper right below the from rotors. I heard maybe tens rounds. There's no mistaking AK fire when you're on the ground. I would have been on the right side of the chopper to the front and I could see the right side pilot looking out and down for a place to land. I could see that the saddle had not cleared out and the only place the chopper could go down was in the draw below the saddle. If he would have landed on the LZ he would have killed a lot of ground troops.

I lost sight of the chopper when he went into the trees and could see debris flying including tree branches. I heard that two guys were killed from pieces off the blades but this was never confirmed. I remember looking at the guys on the LZ and they were all looking down into the draw and were heading down that way. After I heard the chopper hit, I don't remember how much time went by before the explosions started. I know that it burned for a couple of days. We heard a couple of stories. One the transmission had come through and killed the pilot, another that a medic had made it out but had a hole in his head and died later, another that someone made it out and clear but had been burned.

I know that someone was medivaced and it's good to hear the co pilot made it. I think it was him who I saw looking out the right side. I know from experience(35 years in law enforcement as an investigator) that everyone sees things different and hears things different even though they experience the same event. I don't remember ever hearing anyone say anything about a RPG, only AK fire. I've seen the reports about the RPG but didn't know where they came from. I know I'll never forget that day & the friends that I lost. The day we had to go down to the crash and start hauling the body bags back up the hill was not a good one either. With each bag we passed up the hill, you could see it in everyones eye's wondering which friend this one was. We heard that all the troops ended up in a pile in back and were burned. The condition of the body bags only confirmed this. This information came from the co pilot Eric "Ric" Reid. From: Dan Hodge

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The Authors

Former Paratrooper and Army Officer, "Blackfive" started this blog upon learning of the valorous sacrifice of a friend that was not reported by the journalist whose life he saved. Email: blackfive AT gmail DOT com

Instapinch
Bill Paisley, otherwise known as Pinch, is a 22 year (ongoing) active and
reserve naval aviator. He blogs over at www.instapinch.com on a veritable
cornucopia of various and sundry items and will bring a tactical naval
aviator's perspective to Blackfive. Readers be warned: any comments of or
about the F-14 Tomcat will be reverential and spoken in low, hushed tones.
Email: wpaisley AT comcast DOT net

Mr. Wolf has over 26 years in the Army, Army NG, and USAR. He’s Airborne with 5 years as an NCO, before becoming an officer. Mr. Wolf has had 4 company commands. Signal Corp is his basic branch, and Public Affairs is his functional area. He recently served 22 straight months in Kuwait and Iraq, in Intel, PA, and senior staff of MNF-I. Mr. Wolf is now an IT executive. He is currently working on a book on media and the Iraq war. Functional gearhead.

In Iraq, he received the moniker of Mr. Wolf after the Harvey Kietel character in Pulp Fiction, when "challenges" arose, they called on Mr. Wolf...
Email: TheDOTMrDOTWolfAT gmail DOT com

Deebow is a Staff Sergeant and a Military Police Squad Leader in the Army National Guard. In a previous life, he served in the US Navy. He has over 19 years of experience in both the Maritime and Land Warfare; including deployments to Southwest Asia, Thailand, the South Pacific, South America and Egypt. He has served as a Military Police Team Leader and Protective Services Team Leader and he has served on assignments with the US State Department, US Air Force Security Police, US Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. He recently spent time in Afghanistan working with, training and fighting alongside Afghan Soldiers and is now focused on putting his 4 year Political Science degree to work by writing about foreign policy, military security policy and politics.

McQ has 28 years active and reserve service. Retired. Infantry officer. Airborne and Ranger. Consider my 3 years with the 82nd as the most fun I ever had with my clothes on. Interests include military issues and policy and veteran's affairs.
Email: mcq51 -at - bellsouth -dot- net

Tantor is a former USAF navigator/weapon system officer (WSO) in F-4E Phantoms who served in the US, Asia, and Europe. He is now a curmudgeonly computer geek in Washington, DC, picking the taxpayers pocket. His avocations are current events, aviation, history, and conservative politics.

Twenty-three years of Active and Reserve service in the US Army in SF (18B), Infantry and SOF Signal jobs with operational deployments to Bosnia and Africa. Since retiring he's worked as Senior Defense Analyst on SOF and Irregular Warfare projects and currently ensconced in the emerging world of Cyberspace.

The Authors Emeritus

Major Pain --
A Marine who began his blog in Iraq and reflects back on what he learned there and in Afghanistan. To the point opinions, ideas and thoughts on military, political and the media from One Marine’s View.Email: onemarinesview AT yahoo DOT com

Uber Pig was an Infantryman from late 1991 until early 1996, serving with Second Ranger Battalion, I Corps, and then 25th Infantry Division. At the time, the Army discriminated against enlisted soldiers who wanted use the "Green to Gold" program to become officers, so he left to attend Stanford University. There, he became expert in detecting, avoiding, and surviving L-shaped ambushes, before dropping out to be as entrepreneurial as he could be. He is now the founder of a software startup serving the insurance and construction industries, and splits time between Lake Tahoe, Boonville, and San Francisco, CA.

Uber Pig writes for Blackfive a) because he's the proud brother of an enlisted Civil Affairs Reservist who currently serves in Iraq, b) because he looks unkindly on people who make it harder for the military in general, and for his brother in particular, to succeed at their missions and come home in victory, and c) because the Blackfive readers and commenters help keep him sane.

COB6 spent 24 years in the active duty Army that included 5 combat tours with service in the 1st Ranger Battalion and 1st Special Forces Group . COB6 was enlisted (E-7) and took the OCS route to a commission. COB6 retired a few years back as a field grade Infantry officer.
Currently COB6 has a son in the 82nd Airborne that just returned from his third tour and has a newly commissioned daughter in the 4th Infantry Division.